NYC Chef Jamie Bissonnette: The Best Thing I Ate This Week

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Chef Jamie Bissonnette tells us about his favorite dish at the seafood-focused John Dory Oyster Bar in New York City.

Courtesy John Dory Oyster Bar

Carta di Musica with bottarga and chili

Each week, we ask one superstar chef to tell us the best thing they’ve tasted recently, out and about in their home city.

Jamie Bissonnette is a busy guy. The chef made his bones in Boston, where he helms a pair of successful restaurants alongside Ken Oringer. At Coppa he sends out salumi and handmade pastas, while at Toro, he presides over a massive menu of Spanish tapas, masterfully deploying ingredients like Serrano ham, cabrales, and padron peppers. This past fall, Bissonnette brought a spinoff of Toro to New York City, where he’s currently based. His Gotham explorations recently brought him to the seafood-focused John Dory Oyster Bar. Here he tells us about his favorite dish at the April Bloomfield restaurant.

Courtesy Jamie Bissonette

What I ate: Carta di Musica with bottarga and chili

Where I ate it: The John Dory Oyster Bar (1196 Broadway; 212-792-9000, thejohndory.com)

Why it's so good: I think I eat at John Dory more than almost any other restaurant in New York City. I love to sit at the bar and order a dozen oysters and the Carta di Musica. This Carta di Musica might be one of the best snacks ever created, and sometimes I'll order two in a row. It's this salty, crunchy mix of crackers, butter, bottarga (dried, salted fish roe), and chili. So simple, yet wicked good, and I can't get enough of it. Also, I'm a sucker for whelks—these ones are done exactly the way they should be, with parsley, garlic, butter and not much more. I washed it all down with some champagne—a perfect meal.